Method of recovering values from alluvial deposits.



0. T. cnosxnr. METHOD OF REGOVERING VALUES FROM A LLUVIAL DEPOSITS.

- A.PP-LIOATI'0N rugs JULY g, 190?. 923, 1 1 6.

rammed May 25, 1909.

ms NORRIS PETERS 6a., WASHINGTON, n. c,

' substantially broad blade*of spiral form un runsrarns ra'rnnr 'rrion.

[OLE T. CROSBY, OF NOME, DISTRICT OF ALASKA.

i iE'rHon or'nncovname VALUES FROM ALLUVIAL DEPOSITS.

I To'aZZ whom it may concern:

Be'it known that. L Onn T. CnosBY, a citizen of'the United States ofAmerica, and a resident ofthe city of Nome, Alaska, have remove thesame.

invented certain new anduseful Improvements in Methods of RecoveringValues from Alluvial Deposits, ofwhichthe following is a specification.f

My invention has special reference to a method ofoperatingin alluvialdeposits or other beds of a like nature containing valu- I able metals,as gold, for the purpose of recovering such values therefrom.

The primary object of the invention is to solve othelproblem of readilycarrying on such operation without "necessitating the removal of greatquantities of the worthless materials for subsequent treatment, and tothis end I aim to concentrate within the deposit or "bed valuescontained therein and sure tokeep the particles of lesser densityfronrbeing' caught said means.

- In the accompanying drawing I have disclosedin a single perspectiveview one form of an apparatus for carrying out the process, the samebeing illustrated in operation upon abed of materials. I f

Said apparatus forms no part of the present invention, the samebeingembodied in my application SerialNo', 324,870, filed July 5, 1906. 4 1

With reference tothe drawing, numeral 1 and carried along by indicatesajmeans capable of being moved into a bed of materialsof the abovedescribed nature and beneath layers thereof successively, the saidmeansconsisting of a which is somewhat less in length than a fullconvolution. Extending about the margin Specification of'Letters Patent.

:Ap phcation filed July 5, 1906. Serial No. 324,869.

Patented May 25, 1909.

of the blade is an upwardly projecting ridge 2 and lying across itsupper face are tubular ridges 2 provided with discharge orifices 4, thesaid ridges in connection with the blade forming pockets or recesses.

Secured to blade 1 is tubular stem 5 to which power is convenientlyapplied through the medium of handles 8 to move the blade in the bed ofmaterials. This stem has communication with the passages in ridges 2 andis connected by means of a swivel coupling 6 with a conduit 7 leadingfrom an air compressor 9. p

In operation, the blade 1 is pressed downwardly and simultaneouslyrotated in the proper direction to cause it to enter the bed ofmaterials, air at the same time passing along the stem and dischargingthrough the orifices at against the materials above the blade, serving,as heretofore intimated, to keep the particles of materials of lesserdensity from being caught in the pockets or recesses of the blade. Afterthe blade has been inserted to the desired depth the movement thereof isreversed causing it to take an upward course, thereby reworking thematerials through which it passed on its downward journey.

The above described process can be carried out with successful result inWorking ocean beaches where the tide and turbulent state of the waterrender it impracticable to attempt to remove great quantities ofmaterial for subsequent treatment.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and desire tosecure by Letters Patent of the United States of Amen ica, 1s

The herein described method of obtaining valuables from alluvialdeposits, consisting in cutting the ground to be treated into spirallayers, injecting fluid into each layer as cut to separate theparticles, collecting the gravitating valuable particles, and removingthe so-collected particles from under the cut layers without removal ofthe latter.

Signed at Seattle, lVashington this 23 day of June 1906.

OLE T. CROSBY. \Vitnesses S. D. WINGATE, ABLITA ADAMS.

